Part 1 covered the UN drug treaties. It also covered the laws of Uruguay, Canada, Germany, Malta, Luxembourg, the Czech Republic and the United States. This part covers Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. It then looks at what research can say about the effects of legalisation and how to judge what may come next.
Part 1 also set out five legal models. They are often confused:
- Decriminalisation: possessing a small amount brings a minor penalty. Supply and sale stay illegal.
- Medical access: patients with a prescription obtain specified products.
- Home cultivation: a household grows a few plants for itself. Sale stays illegal.
- Non-profit associations: members grow together and receive limited amounts. Commercial sale stays illegal.
- Commercial adult sale: licensed, taxed businesses sell to adults.
Statuses here come from reference sources that may be out of date. Check the official text before you act.
This is Part 2. Part 1: From Prohibition to Legalisation: Treaties, Legal Models and the Laws of the Americas and Europe (Part 1 of 2)
7. Thailand: how the rules changed, 2018–2026
2018–2022: medical use first, then flower off the narcotics list
In 2018 Thailand legalised medical cannabis. It was the first country in Asia to do so.
In June 2022, cannabis flower was removed from the narcotics list. About 3,000 prisoners held only for cannabis offences were released as a result. Extracts with more than 0.2% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) stayed controlled and required a prescription.
No law to control cannabis was passed with the delisting. So ministers filled the gap with ministerial regulations and notifications. These are rules issued under existing laws without a vote in parliament. This is why the rules have changed several times since 2022. A full timeline is in Thailand’s Cannabis Rules, 2022 to 2026.
2025: flower becomes a controlled herb
The Notification of the Ministry of Public Health Re: Controlled Herbs (Cannabis), B.E. 2568, came into force on 26 June 2025. It was issued under the Thai Traditional Medicine Protection Act B.E. 2542 (1999). It made cannabis flower (ช่อดอกกัญชา) a controlled herb. In practice:
- Flower may be sold only against a PT 33 (ภ.ท.33) prescription, for at most 30 days.
- Recreational sale is barred.
- Advertising and online sale of flower are prohibited.
Section 78 of the 1999 Act sets the penalty: up to 1 year in prison, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both. See also the penalty map for cannabis operators.
2026: what was reported, and what is now in force
Ministry of Public Health figures, reported by The Nation, counted 18,433 cannabis shops on 28 December 2025. During 2025, 7,297 shops closed because their licences expired and were not renewed. For the business side, see what the 2025–26 shakeout showed.
Two ministerial regulations are now in force (what changed in April 2026):
- Ministerial Regulation on Cannabis or Hemp Extracts B.E. 2569, in force since 26 April 2026. Licences for extracts above 0.2% THC go only to three kinds of holder. The first is Thai juristic persons, meaning registered companies or other legal entities, that are not “foreign” under the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542. The others are state agencies and the Thai Red Cross Society.
- Ministerial Regulation on Controlled Herbs (No. 2) B.E. 2569, in force since 30 April 2026. It tightens the criteria for licences covering cannabis flower.
The draft Cannabis Control Act is not law. The Cabinet approved the draft on 22 September 2026 and sent it to the House of Representatives.
What to do if you grow or sell cannabis in Thailand
Translator’s note: these steps follow from the rules above. They are general guidance, not legal advice.
- Check your licence against the April 2026 criteria. Ask the licensing office whether your current licence meets the tighter criteria in force since 30 April 2026. The purpose is to find any gap before an inspection does.
- Supply flower only against a PT 33 prescription, and record each one. The purpose is to show where every sale came from if you are inspected.
- Do not post flower prices, “for sale” photos or ordering links online. That includes this forum. Advertising and online sale of flower are prohibited.
- Check your company’s shareholding before you buy extraction equipment. This applies if you plan extracts above 0.2% THC. The purpose is to confirm you are a type of holder that can get the licence at all.
- Plan around rules in force, not the draft act. A draft can change or stall in the House.
For questions about a specific licence, ask the community in Licensing and Compliance.
8. Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam
What each country’s law says
The reference pages cover all three countries. For a wider regional summary, see Cannabis Laws Across Asia.
Laos. Cannabis is illegal. The reference pages record twelve months in prison for using cannabis in public. As of 2009, they also record a mandatory death penalty in certain drug cases. Some businesses in tourist areas sell cannabis openly, and people arrested have reportedly been asked for bribes. Neither fact softens the written law.
Cambodia. Cannabis is prohibited. Growing it became illegal in 1961 through the UN convention. It was made a crime again in 1992. The reference pages call enforcement “opportunistic”: police act when they choose to. Food made with cannabis is sold openly to tourists. Even so, on 15 March 2013 a police raid in Siem Reap led to 18 arrests, 14 of them foreigners.
Vietnam. Cannabis is illegal. The reference pages give no detail on penalties or enforcement, so no figures are given here. Missing detail does not mean the law is lenient.
A plain safety note
Across the region, what police tolerate and what the law says can be far apart. The gap can close without warning. Foreigners have no special protection. They are often more exposed, both to prosecution and to demands for bribes. In parts of Southeast Asia, penalties include very long prison sentences. For some drug offences they include the death penalty.
Translator’s note: many Thai farms sit near a border, and many members travel in the region. Do not carry flower, extracts, seeds or clones across any border. Open sale in a tourist area is not legal permission. An arrest abroad falls under that country’s law. If you advise visitors, point them to Tourist Must Know.
9. What the outcome evidence shows, and what it does not
The figures available, and their limits
The original article cites no peer-reviewed study on the effects of legalisation, because none could be found when it was written. So this section describes the debate in words.
The figures below come from reference and analysis sources, not from studies:
- Uruguay: reference sources report that the illegal market’s share fell after legal sales began. The exact figures could not be confirmed.
- Canada: in 2021, 64% of users usually bought from legal sources. Federal and provincial cannabis tax revenue passed 5.4 billion Canadian dollars between October 2018 and August 2025.
Neither figure shows cause. Each shows a change over time, not that the law caused it.
The four questions people argue about
Consumption. People disagree on whether legal sale raises use. It may instead move existing use into legal shops, which makes use easier to measure. Surveys depend on people answering honestly. People answer more honestly once something is no longer a crime.
Young people. The stakes here are highest, and the methods are weakest. Youth trends change for reasons that have nothing to do with policy.
Road safety. A blood alcohol figure shows impairment at the time of driving. Finding THC in a driver does not show that in the same way.
Illegal markets and revenue. Legal sales have replaced illegal sales only in part, everywhere. Tax receipts are gross figures. They leave out the costs of enforcement and health care.
All four questions are politically charged. Both sides quote the parts that suit them.
Evidence status at a glance
| Claim often made | What can be said here | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Legalisation raises total consumption | Survey answers change once use is no longer a crime | Not established |
| Legalisation raises youth use | Policy effect is hard to separate from general trends | Not established |
| Legalisation worsens road safety | No settled way to measure impairment | Not established |
| Legal markets replace illegal supply | Partial replacement in reported figures | Reported, not proven as cause |
| Legalisation brings in significant revenue | Canadian receipts reported | Gross figure only |
| Gaps in legal definitions create substitute products | Substitutes follow the gaps | Supported by the European report |
Translator’s note: you may hear a figure about cannabis use, young people or road crashes in Thailand since 2022. Ask two questions. Where is the source? Does it show cause, or only a change over time? The purpose is to keep claims the data cannot support out of your business plans and posts.
10. What decides whether a legal scheme is judged a success
Three factors come up again and again. None of them is about whether legalisation is right in principle.
First, the regulator’s capacity. Thailand delisted flower in 2022 without a law to control it. Since then the rules have been rebuilt through ministerial notifications. When a law passes without detailed rules, officials fill each gap as problems arise. Farms and shops then face frequent rule changes, often with little notice.
Second, price and tax design. If the legal product costs much more than the illegal one, buyers stay with the illegal seller. If tax is set too low, the state collects less than it promised.
Third, how long the illegal market survives. This is the closest thing to a common measure across countries. Even in the oldest schemes, legal sales have replaced illegal sales only in part.
A related risk is gaps in legal definitions. The European Union drug agency’s 2025 report counted 24 semi-synthetic cannabinoids on European markets by the end of 2024. These are made by chemically changing compounds taken from the plant. One of them, hexahydrocannabinol (HHC), was found in 27 countries. It was controlled in at least 22 EU member states. The report links this to the 2018 legalisation of hemp in the United States. On cannabinoids beyond THC and CBD, see Novel Cannabinoids.
Translator’s note: if you produce hemp or CBD, do not build a product line on a gap in a definition. The US closed its hemp gap with a bill signed on 12 November 2025. Most of the change now applies from 11 December 2026. Before you invest, ask whether the product would still be legal if the definition were tightened.
11. Announced, drafted, enacted: how to judge what comes next
Put every claim about a future law into one of three groups:
- Announced: a stated intention, which may never reach parliament. Luxembourg announced full legalisation in 2018. Five years later it enacted home cultivation only.
- Drafted: a text exists and is moving through the process. Thailand’s draft Cannabis Control Act is in this group. On 22 September 2026 the Cabinet approved it and sent it to the House.
- Enacted: in force, with a date. This is the only group worth planning around.
Change also runs the other way. The US hemp redefinition and Thailand’s 2025 tightening are both enacted restrictions.
What to do: keep a short log of every rule your farm or shop depends on. For each rule, note its name, its group (announced, drafted or enacted), its date in force and where you read it. Review the log every three months. The purpose is to plan around what is in force, not around headlines.
Status summary
| Jurisdiction | Position as described by the sources | Key dates |
|---|---|---|
| UN treaty system | Cannabis in Schedule I; removed from Schedule IV | 1961 convention; vote 2 December 2020, effective April 2021 |
| Uruguay | Legal; three routes; citizens and permanent residents only | Signed 20 December 2013; pharmacy sales from 2017 |
| Canada | Legal; federal licensing of producers, provincial retail | 17 October 2018 |
| Germany | Home growing and associations; no commercial sale | 1 April 2024; associations 1 July 2024 |
| Malta | Personal use, home growing, associations; no sale for profit | 18 December 2021 |
| Luxembourg | Home cultivation only; state retail proposed | 21 July 2023 |
| Czech Republic | Decriminalised; home growing without a permit, within limits | 1 January 2010; 1 January 2026 |
| United States | Federal: most marijuana in Schedule I, two groups in Schedule III; state regimes; hemp narrowed | Rule published 28 April 2026; hemp changes 12 November and 11 December 2026 |
| Thailand | Delisted, then a controlled herb sold against PT 33 prescription; draft act before the House | June 2022; 26 June 2025; 26 and 30 April 2026 |
| Laos | Illegal; death penalty in some drug cases | Recorded 2009 |
| Cambodia | Illegal; enforcement described as opportunistic | Made a crime again in 1992 |
| Vietnam | Illegal; no verified penalty detail | Not available |
12. Over to the community
The most useful thing you can add is what the law looks like where you live. Skip the headline. Tell us what the law says, how it is enforced, and where the two differ. Reply below this topic with:
- which of the five models your country fits;
- anything in Part 1 or Part 2 that is out of date;
- what a visitor would most easily get wrong.
If you live where cannabis is a serious crime, share only what is safe. Leave out anything that could identify you.
This article is part of the Asiannabis Community educational series on cannabis law and policy. It is general information, not legal advice. Cannabis law changes quickly. Check the current position in your own country before you act on anything here. Content is for educational purposes within jurisdictions where cannabis is legally permitted.
References for Part 2
Main sources
- Encyclopaedic reference pages on the legal status of cannabis in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Uruguay and Canada. The original article does not name them or give links.
- The Nation (Thailand), “Over 7,000 cannabis shops close due to stricter regulations and new law”, reporting Ministry of Public Health shop data.
- European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA), European Drug Report 2025: Trends and Developments.
- A law firm’s analysis of the hemp provisions in the US federal spending bill signed on 12 November 2025. The original article does not name the firm. A verified summary of the same provisions: Perkins Coie, “Shutdown Legislation Brings New Hemp Rules”.
Thai legal instruments named in the text
- Notification of the Ministry of Public Health Re: Controlled Herbs (Cannabis), B.E. 2568 (in force 26 June 2025).
- Thai Traditional Medicine Protection Act B.E. 2542 (1999), section 78.
- Ministerial Regulation on Cannabis or Hemp Extracts B.E. 2569 (in force 26 April 2026).
- Ministerial Regulation on Controlled Herbs (No. 2) B.E. 2569 (in force 30 April 2026).
- Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542 (1999).
- Draft Cannabis Control Act (approved by the Cabinet 22 September 2026; not yet law).